This weekend, the cowboys of PBR Australia’s Monster Energy Tour head back to New South Wales to contest the final event of the regular season, the 2025 Tamworth Iron Cowboy.

For the past three seasons, the Country Music Capital of Australia has hosted the penultimate event, and this year is no different, with Gold Buckle contention, Grand Finals qualification, and the race to become the Bucking Bull of the Year all up for grabs.

The two-night event will take place inside the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) Arena on Friday, 24 October, and Saturday, 25 October 2025. Round 1 will be held on Friday at 7:30 p.m. AEDT, with the event concluding with Round 2 and the Championship Round on Saturday from 7:00 p.m. AEDT.

AELEC Arena will also play host to the 2025 Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals, with champions set to be crowned in the Pee Wee, Junior, Senior and Rising Stars divisions. Entry will be free for all fans with introductions beginning at 12:00 p.m. AEDT on Saturday. Round 1 of the Rising Stars division will be held on Friday night during the main performance.

Event Information and Tickets are available from the PBR Australia website.

Event History

Back in 2017, we saw one of the most electrifying Championship Rounds in PBR Australia history contested in this arena. Four of the eight riders recorded qualified rides. Lucas Divino covered the great Hillbilly Deluxe (Maynes Bucking Bulls) for 90.75 points on his way to winning the event. Fraser Babbington was 89.25 points aboard Acid Rain (Robert Bunn), Michael Smith was 88 points on Coors Light (John Gill & Sons), and Junio Quaresima combined with Light Em Up (TnR Bucking Bulls) for 87.50 points.

Missouri cowboy Brady Sims kicked off the 2020 season in style, crowned Iron Cowboy, after he produced a clutch ride in the final round to hold off Brazilian riders Eduardo Aparecido, who won the event aggregate, and Rubens Barbosa who will make is Australian return this weekend.

In the winter of 2022, Gresford’s Lachlan Richardson went 2-for-2 across the long rounds to claim the aggregate win at PBR Origin II in Tamworth. He also rode his bonus bull to lead the Blues to their first-ever Origin match victory.

Cody Heffernan won Round 1 and the Championship Round at the October 2022 event to take home the buckle under the traditional format. The win played a pivotal part in the Singleton bull rider winning his second PBR Australian National Championship a week later in Townsville.

Mareeba talent Kurt Shephard was the only rider to cover both of his bulls to win the 2023 edition of the Tamworth Iron Cowboy, and last season it was Calliope young gun Ben Bode, who went a perfect 3-for-3 to make it back-to-back tour victories after winning at Kilkivan a fortnight earlier.

View the latest results from PBR Australia competition here.

Format, Prize Money and Points

Twenty-nine bull riders will compete for over $30,000 in prize money this weekend. All riders will face a bull in Rounds 1 and 2, with the top riders returning to face a third bull in the Championship Round. The rider with the highest combined score from all three rounds will be crowned the event champion.

A maximum of 320 points will be available to any individual rider towards the 2025 PBR Australian National Standings. Each round winner will receive 40 points, and the event champion will receive 200 points.

Watch all the action on PBR Australia’s YouTube Channel and Live Stream page.

Talking Points

2025 Kilkivan Touring Pro - Pavlou dominates to secure Grand Finals berth.

Kelsey Pavlou picked up the third event win of his career at the Kilkivan Touring Pro a fortnight ago. The Toora cowboy went 2-for-3 on the night, winning Round 1 and the Championship Round to leap from the No. 24 spot in the Australian National Standings and into 16th place after he earned 295 points. He has built a healthy buffer between himself and the cut line, which should see him qualify for his fifth PBR Australia Grand Finals.

Athol cowboy Zane Hall secured the runner-up position, adding 173 points to his championship total to ensure his name remains in gold buckle conversation. Diego Galdino finished in third place and picked up 117 points. The Brazilian made a big jump up six places to the No. 9 position on the season leaderboard.

2025 PBR Australia Grand Finals Qualification – Ten riders battle for the final spots.

Only the top 20 riders in the National Standings will qualify for Townsville; however, a handful of qualified riders are doubtful to take their place at the Grand Finals this season. This situation opens the door for riders positioned outside the qualification line, so each cowboy's ranking as we leave Tamworth will play a crucial part in determining how each rider’s 2025 season finishes.

Currently, Thomas Hudson holds down the No. 20 spot on 360 points.

Sam Woodall and Nash Mellers are 46 and 44 points ahead in 18th and 19th.

Lachlan Slade and Dylan Weir are 32 and 57 points adrift in 21st and 22nd.

With each round win this weekend worth 40 points, these rankings could change quickly.

Combine an event win with a round win to earn 240 points, and that will bring riders competing this weekend, such as Donnie Rutherfurd, Dan Ruhland, Charlie Bailey, Beau Willis and Brumby Brandenburg, into contention to make the final field.

2025 PBR Australian National Championship - The race is officially down to five riders.

Kurt Shephard remains the No. 1-ranked bull rider in the country and leads the standings with 1938.33 points. Luan Crystian Camara remains his closest challenger with the Brazilian trailing the Mareeba cowboy by 253.83 points.

The list of outcomes riding on the shoulders of their battle this weekend is a long one. 

Shephard could go a long way towards securing the gold buckle with a strong finish, while Camara can mathematically jump to the No. 1 spot if he can claim multiple round wins and the event win. They can also eliminate lower-ranked riders from contention.

No. 3-ranked Clint Glass, No. 4 Alison Aguilar and No. 5 Zane Hall are separated by just 28 points. Glass is trailing Shephard by 785.33 points. With 720 points available in Townsville, it’s now or next season for these three bull riders.

2025 PBR Australia Rookie of the Year - The battle of the Brazilians.

Luan Crystian Camara and Alison Aguilar are not only fighting it out for the gold buckle, but they will also go head-to-head over the next two weekends to become the Rookie of the Year.

Following his win at the Orange Invitational in September, Camara pushed his lead in this competition to almost 650 points, but Aguilar has fought his way back with strong finishes in early October to close the gap to 536.50 points. 

Both riders are in top form, so we should see this one go right down to the wire.

Check out ‘The Morning Line’, available Friday morning on the PBR Australia website, for in-depth analysis of the highlight matchups for Round 1 of the 2025 Monster Energy Tamworth Invitational.

For the latest results, news and stats, stay tuned to PBRAustralia.com.au, follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia), Instagram (@PBRAustralia) and TikTok (@PBRAustralia) and subscribe to @ProBullRidersAust on YouTube for live events, replays and highlights.